The Perfect Salad to Eat During a Snowstorm

I love winter — I really do. For several years my family lived on the West Coast; from the Deserts of Southern California through the majestic redwoods, up into the great Pacific Northwest. Life was great in all those special places but what lacked was a truly snowy and wonderfully cold winter. So we traveled cross country to make Vermont our new home.

Vermont is a great state that has always occupied a very special place in my heart. I first came to Vermont in 1984 to attend the now-defunct New England Culinary Institute. It was a time of great growth and exploration in my life. I was consumed with becoming a chef. I spent as much time immersed in heady books like Le Répertoire de la Cuisine or Jacques Pepin’s classic ‘La Technique’ as I did swimming in the frigid deep pools of Bingham Falls. In my off time, I explored the back roads and fell in love with the old dairy farms that dot the Vermont landscape.

Fun Fact: There is 1 cow for every 3.8 people

There is much to love about the Green Mountain State; over 70% of the state is forested, the small population, billboards are illegal, we were the first state/country to abolish slavery, and we are home to Ben and Jerry’s. But what I love most about Vermont is the changing seasons. Call me crazy but I love them all, even mud season.

Living life in Vermont sometimes feels like being in a snowglobe. The beauty of our small old-fashioned towns is crowned with church steeples, covered wood bridges, and gorgeous mountain peaks. I sat for an hour looking out my back windows just watching giant snowflakes fall over a hayfield.

I felt hungry and made this Honey Caramelized Pear, Burrata, & Arugula Salad with items I had at hand, and wanted to share it with you. The hardest step is the first. Once you poach the pear slices and caramelize them it is simply a matter of assembling the dish. Save the poaching liquid to make a sorbet or craft a cocktail. Honey caramelized pears also make a great foundation for a number of desserts. I used to make one with chocolate sorbet and pistachio cream.

The Recipe in Pictures

Honey Caramelized Pears, photo by Francois de Melogue

Step 01: Honey Caramelized Pears

2 cups of granulated sugar
2 cups of water
1 bay leaf
1 piece of star anise
1 slice of lemon
2 Bosc pears, sliced about a 1/4 inch thick lengthwise (see note)
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/4 cup of honey

Bring the water and sugar to a rapid boil in a small saucepot. Add the bay leaf, anise, and lemon and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Turn the burner off and add the pear slices. My pears were fairly ripe and just needed to sit in the marinade for 5 minutes to soften a bit. If your pears are hard, add the slices and cook the pears over medium heat until they are soft but not mushy. Test often by inserting the tip of a paring knife into the pear flesh. I leave the pear slices in the marinade until I am ready to use them.
Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet. If your honey is more solid than liquid gently melt in a microwave or a small pan until liquidy. Brush your poached pear slices with honey and add to the skillet. I cooked my pear slices over medium heat for about 5 minutes, flipping them quite often to ensure even caramelization. When they are nice and golden brown remove them from the pan and lay them on a silpat or clean plate. Brush with more honey until they glisten and sparkle.

Note: I used a serrated knife to cut my pears

Making a Honey Caramelized Pear, Burrata, & Arugula Salad, photo by Francois de Melogue

Step 02: Adding Arugula

Most of my ingredients were leftover from a family pizza night. Feel free to use what you may have hiding in your fridge. I love how the peppery assertiveness of baby arugula marries with the sweetness of the pears and the saltiness of the ham.

Add more or less arugula than I did. Use bibb lettuce or even romaine if that is what you have.

Step 03: Adding Prosciutto, Iberico Ham, or even Cheese

Taste is the perfect balance between different attributes. In this case, the strength of salad resides in the harmonious balance between sweet (the pears), spicy (the arugula), and salty (the cured ham). Try playing with substituting different elements like replacing the salty ham with a slice of salty cheese, like pecorino or bleu cheese. I used 2 slices of rolled-up prosciutto rolled per salad.

Step 04: Adding Toasted Bread

I used a leftover loaf of bread I brought back from a recent trip to Marche Atwater in Montreal. It was a rye boule that we have fallen in love with, especially toasted. You could substitute with anything that provides some form of crunch, like a thin cracker.

Step 05: Burrata

Who doesn’t love the creaminess of a spoonful of burrata? It provides the perfect smoothing component to this salad. Burrata acts like a flavor balancer, mellowing the aggressive peppery arugula, extending the sweet creaminess of the pear, and taming the inherent saltiness of the cured ham.

Step 06: The Finished Salad

I finished my salad with a sprinkle of black pepper and flake salt. The salad was drizzled with a small amount of fleur d’huile, which I mentioned in my last post about a chickpea salad.

I returned to my sofa with the salad in hand and watched the snow continue to fall over the beautiful Vermont landscape.

Honey Caramelized Pear, Burrata, & Arugula Salad